Anglers asked to help stop spread of round goby in Erie County

This is an April, 2010, contributed photo of a round goby. The presence of round gobies was positively confirmed in Lake LeBoeuf in Waterford Township by a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection biologist. CONTRIBUTED/ERIE TIMES-NEWS

Round gobies have been found in another Erie County waterway, and fishing officials are asking anglers to help stop the spread of the invasive aquatic species.

The presence of round gobies in Lake LeBoeuf in Waterford Township was confirmed this month by a state Department of Environmental Protection biologist. Round gobies already are found in Lake Erie and in Upper Gravel Pit Pond in Fairview Township. There's fear they'll make their way elsewhere.

"Our goal is to prevent them from being introduced into other inland waters, such as French Creek, which is partially fed by outflow from Lake LeBoeuf," said John Arway, executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. "French Creek contains numerous threatened and endangered fish and freshwater mussel species and is one of the most ecologically diverse waterways in the commonwealth. We want to do everything we can to protect it by preventing the spread of round goby."

Capt. Bob Nestor, of the commission's northwest regional office in Meadville, said round gobies could harm populations of native darters and mussels in Lake LeBoeuf and French Creek.

Nestor said that to help stop the spread of round gobies, anglers who catch the fish at Lake LeBoeuf are asked to kill and dispose of them in trash bins there. Anglers found to be in possession of live gobies face penalties.

He said officials aren't sure how gobies got into Lake LeBoeuf, but it might have been via bait bucket.

Round gobies can be identified by their large head with froglike raised eyes, mottled olive/brown body, fused pelvic fins and black spot on the rear dorsal fin.

Anglers who find a round goby in Pennsylvania waters other than Lake LeBoeuf, Gravel Pit Pond or Lake Erie are asked by the commission to kill the fish, freeze it and call 474-1515 or report it online at http://fishandboat.com/ais-reporting.htm.

DANA MASSING can be reached at 870-1729 or by e-mail. Follow her on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNmassing.